Pseudonym

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J.K. Rowling
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Laura Redden Searing

Pseudonym
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A pseudonym is a fictitious name used to conceal someone’s real name. The pseudonym of an author is a pen name and the pseudonym of an actor is a stage name or screen name. A pseudonym can also be an alias used by people or groups, like sports stars or criminals.
Pseudonyms are most usually adopted to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists' tags, resistance fighters' or terrorists' and computer hackers' handles.

Pen Names and Pseudonyms

Here are examples of pen names with the pseudonym listed first:
  • A.A. Fair - Erle Stanley Gardner
  • Aaron Wolfe - Dean Koontz
  • Anne Rice - Howard Allen O'Brien
  • Boz - Charles Dickens
  • Brynjolf Bjarme - Henrik Ibsen
  • David Agnew - A group of writers and producers for Doctor Who
  • Dear Abby - Jeanne Phillips and Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips
  • Dr. Seuss - Theodor Seuss Geisel
  • Edgar Box - Gore Vidal
  • Elia - Charles Lamb
  • Ellis Bell - Emily Bronte
  • Geoffrey Crayon - Washington Irving
  • Kennilworthy Whisp - J.K. Rowling
  • Lemony Snicket - Daniel Handler
  • Lewis Carroll - Charles Dodgson
  • Mark Twain - Samuel Clemens
  • Mary Westmacott - Agatha Christie
  • Moliere - Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
  • O. Henry - William Sydney Porter
  • Paul French - Isaac Asimov
  • Richard Bachman - Stephen King
  • Voltaire - François-Marie Arouet
Stage and Screen Pseudonyms
Here are some examples:
  • Alan Alda - Alphonso D'Abruzzo
  • Axl Rose - William Bailey
  • Barbara Stanwyck - Ruby Stevens
  • Ben Kingsley - Krishna Banji
  • Bruce Lee - Lee Yuen Kam
  • Chuck Norris - Carlos Ray
  • Dorothy Lamour - Mary Kaumeyer
  • Elvis Costello - Declan McManus
  • Faith Hill - Audrey Faith Perry McGraw
  • George Burns - Nathan Birnbaum
  • John Wayne - Marion Morrison
  • LL Cool J - James Todd Smith III
  • Marilyn Monroe - Norma Jean Baker
  • Michael Landon - Eugene Maurice Orowitz
  • Queen Latifah - Dana Elaine Owens
  • Rock Hudson - Roy Scherer Jr
  • Shania Twain - Eileen Regina Edwards
  • Sting - Gordon Sumner
  • Tina Turner - Annie Mae Bullock
  • Whoopie Goldberg - Caryn Johnson
  • Woody Allen - Allen Konigsberg
Sports Pseudonyms
Here are examples:
  • Casey Stengel - Charles Dillon Stengel
  • Chi Chi Rodriguez - Juan Antonio Rodriguez
  • Dida - Nélson de Jesus Silva
  • Fuzzy Zoeller - Frank Urban Zoeller, Jr.
  • Khaosai Galaxy - Sura Saenkham
  • Mercury Morris - Eugene Edward Morris
  • Pele - Edson Arantes do Nascimento
  • Smush Parker - William Henry Parker
  • Sparky Anderson - George Lee Anderson
  • Too Tall Jones - Ed Lee Jones
Pseudonyms Used by Criminals
Here are examples of famous criminals with pseudonyms:
  • Baby Face Nelson - Lester Joseph Gillis
  • Billy the Kid - William H. Bonney
  • Blackbeard - Edward Teach
  • Butch Cassidy - Robert LeRoy Parker
  • Legs Diamond - Jack Nolan
  • Machine Gun Kelly - George Celino Barnes
  • Pretty Boy Floyd - Charles Arthur Floyd
  • Son of Sam - David Berkowitz
  • The Sundance Kid - Harry Alonzo Longabaugh
  • The Unabomber - Ted Kaczynski
Pseudonyms Used by Fictional Characters
Here are some examples:
  • M - Sir Miles Messervy from James Bond
  • Q - Major Boothroyd from James Bond
  • Aramis - Chevalier d'Herblay from The Three Musketeers
  • Athos - Le Comte de La Fère from The Three Musketeers
  • Porthos - Monsieur du Vallon from The Three Musketeers
  • Art Vandelay - Used by George and Elaine in the TV sitcom Seinfeld
  • Lord Voldemort - Tom Riddle from Harry Potter
  • Mr. Underhill - Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings
  • Scarlet Pimpernel - Sir Percy Blakeney from the play and novel of the same name
  • The Shadow - Lamont Cranston
  • Zorro - Don Diego de la Vega originally created by author Johnston McCulley
With these examples you can now recognize pseudonyms for different famous people you may encounter.